Dodges many of the faults that make most horror movies fall flat.

Rating: 10/10 (28 June 2003)

Nowadays, truly scary movies are hard to come by. People are subjected to a lot of WRETCHED horror films that contain poor character development, lousy dialogue, cheap thrills, and pointless plots. Most of the horror movies that have been released lately really don't offer much of anything to be honest.

With that in mind, one might assume that "28 Days Later" would simply be another one of those pointless/tedious films that slowly diminishes the intelligence of its viewers with poorly written stories chock full of mindless gore.
Well, I can honestly say that; in my opinion, 28 Days Later has managed to dodge many of these great faults that are usually very common in the horror genre. The film-makers have succeeded in bringing to the audience a terrifying story of primal violence and desperate survival in an apocalyptic world. The film is primarily a story showing the brutal aftermath of a deadly epidemic known as the "Rage". Those infected have entered into a state of blood-lust, driven only by a hunger for the flesh and blood of those who have not yet been subjected to the virus. We are shown only clips and portions of the chaos that had followed the outbreak. Massive riots and stories of barbaric killings are told through newspaper clippings and explanations given by other survivors. All of this and much more sets the tone of the movie from the start. Bringing us in immediately.

But beyond all of this is a simple tale of human nature. 28 Days Later captures the realistic circumstances of survival, highlighting the various ways people cope with things in such horrendous times. Throughout the course of the film, we come across about 13 non-infected people with entirely different personalities and entirely different means of survival. They all have their own opinions on how to survive, and they've all learned to cope with the conditions in their own way. its this aspect of the movie that really caught my interest.
Was the movie flawless? No not at all. NO MOVIE IS FLAWLESS. But like a few other memorable cinematic experiences, 28 Days Later presented something new. It was gritty, weird, wild, and creepy. Just the right mix to give us a break from the typical/cruddy box office "hits" Hollywood coughs up every month.
10 out of 10. Full points for being the most entertaining movie I've seen in theaters so far this year.